


Sweet Dreams

by Musical_Fandom



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bad Ending, Gen, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Light Angst, Partial Mind Control, Psychological Horror, Royal's Bad End, Spoilers, Swearing, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29517765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musical_Fandom/pseuds/Musical_Fandom
Summary: Akechi and Maruki have a conversation the night of 2/2.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Sweet Dreams

Akechi felt betrayed. As he stormed out of LeBlanc, he couldn't ignore the pain in his chest.

_"A betrayal for a betrayal?" Akechi laughed bitterly. "I suppose I should have expected as much."_

_"That's not what this is!" Akira protested. Akechi didn't believe him for a second._

He walked back to his apartment, still consumed with all the emotions he'd felt in the cafe. Rage, betrayal, **_fear_**. Everything mixed together in a dizzying cocktail of emotions. It all made him feel sick.

_"I'm doing this for you!"_

_"I never asked you to save me Akira!"_

He was **tired**. Not just from the events of that day but from everything. Maruki and his bullshit, Shido and _his_ bullshit, himself and his poor choices, just thinking about it all exhausted him.

_"You heard what he said!" Akira's voice was desperate, dangerously so. "We can stop fighting. Just for once."_

_"And what if I don't want to stop fighting?"_

Akechi dragged himself to bed. He needed to rest if he had to work on his own. Without Akira's backup, taking down Maruki would be difficult. If Akira managed to convince his friends not to fight... there would be no chance at that point.

_"I can't keep doing this Akechi! I can't keep losing you."_

_"And what do you think this is? Do you really think I can live as myself in that bastard's perfect world? Think about this Akira!"_

Akechi moved to check on the Phantom Thieves chat but gave up before he even reached his phone. His body was too heavy. He fell asleep with his arm hanging off the bed, unable to keep fighting the exhaustion.

_"I don't want to live **any** world if you're there!" Akira flinched, the silence that followed was suffocating. Akechi stopped himself from apologizing. He didn't do anything wrong._

_"We're taking the deal." Akira said quietly. "I'm not letting you kill yourself, even if you hate me for it."_

_"Seems like you still refuse to accept my reality." A voice called out. Akechi looked around for the source. "I don't want to force you into something you don't want to do."_

_"And yet, here we are." Akechi found himself standing in a white void. "Save the self-righteous bullshit for someone who cares."_

_"I wasn't lying when I said you could be happy. It's not too late to change your mind." Maruki seemed to appear from nowhere. "You can still go back and apologize to Kurusu-kun for all the things you said."_

_Akechi watched as tentacles began to rise from nowhere. He took a step back trying to ignore the growing pain in his head that shouldn't have even been possible. Not in a dream._

_"This isn't a regular dream Akechi-kun, I know you've realized that."_

_Akechi glared at Maruki. "I have nothing to apologise for. I meant every word."_

_Maruki frowned and took a step forward. Akechi tried to take a step back but found himself bumping into a wall. When he turned to look behind him, it was one of his apartment walls. Akechi faced Maruki again to find that they were in his apartment. "I think we **both** know that's not true." _

_The tentacles that were now sticking out of the floor began to glow. Akechi instantly felt regret. Everything he had said, he couldn't take it back._

_"Of course you can, as I said, it's not too late." Maruki wore a wide smile. He took another step towards Akechi with his arms out. Akechi stared at the man in front of him. The white suit, the body language, everything screamed cult. "It's not a cult Akechi-kun, it's a new reality."_

_"Why? What do you get from this?" Akechi pressed himself further against the wall._

_"I get to see my life's work come to fruition. A world without pain, one where people don't need to deal with the problems that plagued them in the old reality."_

_"And who decides what makes them happy?"_

_Maruki gave Akechi a confused look. "They do. I read their desires and grant them accordingly."_

_"But not every desire."_

_"No, of course not. Some are rather... self destructive." He gave Akechi a pointed look. "Those however, are special cases. In those instances, I simply... guide them in a better direction."_

_Akechi couldn't help but laugh despite the fear he felt. "Don't give me that shit!" His voice shook despite his best efforts to stop it. "I have the **right** to choose my own path even if **you** disapprove!" _

_"You're right Akechi-kun. That's why I'm giving you a choice right now." Maruki looked around and frowned. "This place looks rather lonely..."_

_"Get on with it."_

_"Right!" Maruki focused on Akechi. "You need to be around for Kurusu-kun's happiness-"_

_"I don't give a shit about Akira's happiness."_

_"Please," Maruki began forcefully. "Let me finish."_

_The tentacles began to glow once again. Akechi opened his mouth to speak but words wouldn't form. He grabbed his throat and tried hidehow **terrified** he was with a glare. _

_"As I was saying, Kurusu-kun needs you to be happy. It would be best for you to leave this place and accept your place in reality." He paused for a moment to gauge Akechi's reaction. The glare still hadn't left. His attempts to get rid of the bastard through sheer rage and intimidation were not working. "However, if you truely find you can't accept my reality then you can stay here."_

_"Here?" Akechi took his hand off his throat._

_"Your mind." He smiled._

_"What a wonderful choice, a prisoner in my own mind or a brainwashed drone in your reality."_

_"You wouldn't be a prisoner, you'd be able to leave anytime-"_

_"As long as I accept your reality?" Maruki's smile didn't falter._

_"You've been through a lot." Maruki began. He took a step towards Akechi and placed a hand on his shoulder. Akechi wanted to remove the hand from his shoulder, he wanted to detach it from Maruki's body but he couldn't move. "I understand that you've done things that you aren't proud of, but that wasn't **you**."_

_"Then who was it exactly that killed Wakaba Isshiki or Kunikazu Okumura?"_

_"No one. You saw it yourself, they're both alive and well in my reality. You can begin to make amends without that weighing over you."_

_"I don't fucking want to!" He yelled. If he could move, he would have already lunged at Maruki. "I don't care about your fake redemption!"_

_Maruki, thankfully, took a step back. He let go of him and frowned. "If that's how you really feel, there's not much I can do. It seems your choice is clear." The tentacles began to glow. They got brighter and brighter until the room was filled with light. "Just remember, if you ever change your mind, you can always come back to my reality. It's up to you."_

_A flash of blinding white light filled Akechi's vision._

Akechi woke up with a headache. His mind was sluggish as he tried to remember what had happened the night before. It felt important yet, something told him it would be **better to forget**. Akechi tried to fight whatever influence was in his mind only to find that he was exhausted, more so than when he went to bed the night before. Akechi reached for his phone, a deep sense of dread building as he read the group chat. Cheerful good mornings from his _friends_ made him feel sick to his stomach. All at once, it came back to him. Maruki, their fake reality, Akira. The memories overwhelmed Akechi's tired mind. They _hurt_. 

_**It doesn't have to be this way**. _ Akechi held his head, _he refused to be manipulated by the fake reality_. As he tried to fight the creeping influence invading his mind, Akechi found his eyelids growing heavier. His breathing slowed as a warm comforting feeling overtook him. His body relaxed as his mind continued to fight. _He wouldn't fall prey to Maruki like the others had._ Akechi's eyes fluttered shut. A sense of relaxation washed over him. It felt easy to **_let go_** , to _**stop worrying**_. As his consious thoughts slipped away, Akechi was left with the feeling he'd won. He wouldn't be manipulated in a fake reality made by another, ** _he would be happy with the path he chose for himself._**

**Author's Note:**

> I liked the idea of the deadline ending but for Akechi so I wrote this!


End file.
